Borough of Tunbridge Wells

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Borough of Tunbridge Wells
Non-metropolitan district
Tunbridge Wells shown within Kent
Tunbridge Wells shown within Kent
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Kent
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Royal Tunbridge Wells
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Body Tunbridge Wells Borough Council
 • Leadership Leader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPs Greg Clark
Area
 • Total 127.9 sq mi (331.3 km2)
Area rank 131st (of 326)
Population (mid-2014 est.)
 • Total 116,105
 • Rank 192nd (of 326)
 • Density 910/sq mi (350/km2)
 • Ethnicity 95.1% White
1.4% S.Asian
1.1% Black
1.3% Mixed Race
1.0% Chinese or other
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 29UQ (ONS)
E07000116 (GSS)
OS grid reference TQ5817739112
Website www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk

The Borough of Tunbridge Wells is a local government district and borough in Kent, England. It takes its name from its main town, Royal Tunbridge Wells.

The district was formed on 1 April 1974, by the merger of the municipal borough of Royal Tunbridge Wells along with Southborough urban district, Cranbrook Rural District and most of Tonbridge Rural District.

Description of borough[edit]

Location[edit]

The borough of Tunbridge Wells lies along the south western border of Kent, partly on the northern edge of the Weald, the remainder on the Weald Clay plain in the upper reaches of the rivers Teise and Beult.

The North Weald area[edit]

The restricted area immediately to the north and west of Tunbridge Wells lies within the Weald. The presence of sandstone outcrops and the chalybeate springs, together with old workings, point to ancient iron manufacturing in the area.

Weald Clay plain[edit]

This plain is part of the so-called Garden of England, named for its extensive orchards and former hop farms, sheep and cattle. A string of villages lies across this plain, from Brenchley and Horsmonden to Benenden and Headcorn.

Communications[edit]

  • Roads The main roads through the borough are the A21 London to Hastings road and in the east, the A229, which runs from the A21 at Hurst Green through Cranbrook to Maidstone.
  • Railways The line of the former South Eastern Railway (SER) main line crosses the clay plain in an almost unbroken straight line between Redhill and Ashford, Kent. The SER line to Hastings passes through Tunbridge Wells; here there was once a further branch connection south-eastwards to Groombridge, and at Paddock Wood is the southern terminus of the Medway Valley Line to Maidstone.

Borough organisation[edit]

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is composed of 48 councillors representing 20 wards across the borough. Eight wards are within Royal Tunbridge Wells itself including Broadwater, Culverden; Pantiles & St Marks; Park; Rusthall; Sherwood & St John's and St. James. The remainder are rural wards covering the other main towns and villages.

Each of the latter also have their own form of local government in the form of a civil parish. They are as follows, paired where two villages are served by one councillor:

Politics[edit]

Tunbridge Wells is and has almost always been from inception, a Conservative Westminster constituency. As of the elections in May 2014 the present political composition of the Council is:[1]

  • Conservatives 38
  • Labour 3
  • Liberal Democrats 3
  • UKIP 1
  • Vacant 1

In the 2016 European Union referendum, Tunbridge Wells was the only district in Kent that voted to remain in the EU (54.89%).

Places of interest[edit]

Apart from Tunbridge Wells itself, places of interest in the Borough include:

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Your Councillors". Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Archived from the original on 2015-04-29. Retrieved 29 April 2015. 

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 51°07′44″N 0°15′39″E / 51.12889°N 0.26083°E / 51.12889; 0.26083